Training golf ball

ABSTRACT

A training golf ball is a truncated sphere having a continuous spherical portion and two truncated sides. The training golf ball has an equator extending around the spherical portion that divides the training golf ball into two congruent sections. The two truncated sides are substantially parallel to each other and are substantially parallel to a plane passing through and intersecting the equator of the spherical portion.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This invention claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 61/661,179, filed Jun. 18, 2012, which is hereby incorporatedby reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a golf swing training aid, and moreparticularly relates to a training golf ball that exaggerates theeffects of striking the training golf ball off-line.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In order to propel a golf ball along an intended line of travel towardthe hole of a golf course or target a driving range, the plane of thestriking face of the golf club must be perpendicular to the intendedline of travel when the striking face of the golf club contacts the golfball. Many training aids have been proposed to assist a golfer inperfecting his or her stroke so that the plane of the striking face ofthe golf club is perpendicular to the intended line of travel of golfball when the striking face of the club contacts the golf ball. In orderto truly assist a golfer in perfecting his or her swing with respect toalignment of the striking face of the golf club with the intended lineof travel, the training aid must provide feedback to the golfer so thathe or she can recognize a mishit golf shot resulting from striking facemisalignment, can recognize the nature and degree of the misalignment,and can thereby make appropriate adjustments to the golfer's swing andstriking face alignment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to assist golfers in perfecting their swing with respect tocontacting the golf ball with the striking face of the golf clubperpendicular to the intended line of travel, the present invention is atraining golf ball that is in the shape of a truncated sphere so thatthe training golf ball exaggerates the effects of striking the golf ballwhen the striking face of the golf club is not perpendicular to theintended line of travel or the club does not rotate enough or rotatestoo severely after square impact. Particularly, the training golf ballof the present invention exaggerates the effect of a misaligned strokeby veering more radically off-line than a standard golf ball when thestandard golf ball is similarly mishit. Such an exaggerated effect givesthe golfer a clear feedback that the training golf ball was mishit andthe nature of the striking face misalignment that caused the traininggolf ball to veer off-line. Consequently, the golfer can immediatelyrecognize the existence and nature of the misalignment of the strikingface with the intended line of travel and take corrective action.Without the benefit of the training golf ball of the present invention,small imperfections in swing and ball contact are more difficult todetect such that the golfer may not even be aware that correctiveactions arc required. Further, when the training golf ball of thepresent invention is properly struck with the striking face properlyaligned perpendicular to the intended line of travel, the training golfball of the present invention will follow the intended line of traveland thereby confirm to the golfer that the training golf ball has beenproperly struck.

Particularly, the training golf ball of the present invention has theshape of a truncated sphere comprising a spherical portion having acontinuous circumference and an equator and two truncated sidessubstantially parallel to each other, located on opposite sides of thespherical portion, and substantially parallel to a plane coincident withand passing through the equator of the continuous spherical portion. Theamount of truncation as a percentage of the radius of the truncated golfball ranges from about 5% to about 90%. For a training golf ball at thelower range of truncation, the effects of a misaligned stroke will notbe as exaggerated as for a training golf ball at the upper range of thetruncation. The upper range of truncation is primarily determined by theneed for the training golf ball to be able to rest on a surfacetypically associated with a golf course or practice surface withouttipping over onto one of its truncated sides. In some cases, the upperrange of truncation may be increased if a tee is employed that willengage and hold the training golf ball on its spherical portion withouttipping over.

The training golf ball of the present invention can have a variety ofconstructions that are conventionally used with standard golf balls. Forexample, the construction of the training golf ball can be one-piece,two-piece, or multiple-piece. In addition, the cover material mayinclude any standard cover material used on a conventional golf ballsuch as those well known to persons of ordinary skill in the art.Further, the spherical portion of the training golf ball can be smooth,have a texture, have any number of different standard dimple patterns orhave bramble patterns. The truncated surfaces of the training golf ballmay employ the same standard cover materials as the spherical portion.The surfaces of the truncated sides of the training golf ball may besmooth, to accommodate printed promotional material, may have dimples ina conventional dimpled pattern, may have brambles in a conventionalbramble pattern, or may have some other textured surface.

The training golf ball of the present invention can be used forpracticing with all types of clubs and with all types of golf ball liesincluding driving form a tee, hitting from grass, hitting from sand, andputting on a green. Also, when the training golf ball is played on itsflat truncated side, the training golf ball teaches the golfer to hitdown and through the ball and to impart more spin. There is a zip-likesound that is associated with imparting spin to the training golf ball.The louder the zip-like sound is, the more spin on the training golfball. The training golf ball also helps the golfer when the traininggolf ball is laid on its flat truncated side in a bunker to simulate atough “fried egg” lie. The training golf ball also helps the golfer withchip shots when the training golf ball is laid on its flat truncatedside. If the golfer does not get underneath the training golf ball, thetraining golf ball will glide across the surface like a hockey puck onthe ice. For both chipping and bunker play, the training golf ball alsohelps the golfer see the amount of side spin, if any, imparted to thetraining golf ball. There are those instances in golf that one wouldonly want to impart back spin, without side spin.

Beginning golfers, intermediate skill golfers, and professional golferscan use the training golf ball. The training golf ball can be used ongolf courses, practice courses, and at any other safe facility wherehitting a golf ball is allowed. The training golf ball can be usedindoors against a safety net or as a putting training aid on virtuallyany surface. The training golf ball does not require individualinstruction from trained personnel to benefit from the training golfball's features because of the feedback the training golf ball conveysto the golfer when the training golf ball is mishit and veers off line.

Further objects, features and advantages will become apparent uponconsideration of the following detailed description of the inventionwhen taken in conjunction with the drawings and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a training golf ball in accordance withthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the training golf ball in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the training golf ball in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a section view of the training golf ball in accordance withthe present invention as seen along line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a section view of the training golf ball in accordance withthe present invention as seen along line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the training golf ball in accordance withthe present invention with the training golf ball resting on itsspherical portion.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the training golf ball in accordancewith the present invention with the training golf ball resting on itsspherical portion.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are top plan views of the training golf ball inaccordance with the present invention showing a time sequence of theposition of the training golf ball from a rest position to an initialoff-line position after being struck.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a training golf ball 10 that is constructed inaccordance with the present invention. The training golf ball 10 is atruncated sphere comprising a continuous spherical portion 12 and twotruncated sides 14 and 15. The training golf ball 10 has an equator 40extending around the spherical portion 12 that divides the training golfball 10 into two congruent sections 44 and 46. The two truncated sides14 and 15 are substantially parallel to each other and are substantiallyparallel to a plane passing through and intersecting the equator 40 ofthe spherical portion 12. While the truncated sides 14 and 15 arepreferably flat, the sides may have a slight concave or convexconfiguration. A rolling centerline or axis 18 extends through thecenters of truncated sides 14 and 15, and the rolling axis 18 istherefore perpendicular to truncated sides 14 and 15 and to the planepassing through the equator 40. The rolling axis 18 represents the axisof rotation as the training golf ball 10 rolls along an intended line oftravel 36.

The amount of truncation affects the performance of the training golfball 10 with respect to the amount of off-line veering that occurs asthe result of a misaligned stroke. The amount of truncation is definedby the position of the truncated side along the rolling axis 18. Asshown in FIG. 2, the amount of truncation is the distance from a point48 on the axis 18 to the truncated side 14. Truncation is similarlymeasured with respect to truncated side 15. The point 48 represents theintersection of the circumference 50 of the training golf ball 10 withthe axis 18. Consequently, the amount of truncation can be specified asa percentage of the radius of the training golf ball 10 or as thedistance from the point 48 to the truncated side 14. In other words, 0%truncation and 0 distance truncation means that the training golf ballis not truncated at all and is therefore perfectly spherical.Particularly, the amount of truncation for the training golf ball of thepresent invention ranges from approximately 5% (1 mm or 0.16 in. for astandard size golf ball having a diameter of 42.67 mm or 1.68 in.) toapproximately 90% (19 mm or 0.75 in for a standard size golf ball havinga diameter of 42.67 mm or 1.68 in.) of the radius of the training golfball along the rolling axis 18 from point 48 to the truncated side 14.Preferably, the amount of truncation is approximately 60% (13 mm or 0.51in.) of the radius of the training golf ball along the rolling axis 18from point 48 to the truncated side 14.

As previously indicated, the amount of truncation increases or decreasesthe amount of off-line veering of the training golf ball 10 when mishitby an improperly aligned striking face 30 of a club head 28 of a golfclub 26 (FIGS. 6, 7, and 8A). For a training golf ball at the lowerrange of truncation (approximately 5%), the off-line effect of amisaligned stroke will not be as exaggerated as for a training golf ballat the upper limit of the truncation (approximately 90%). The upperlimit of truncation is primarily established by the need for thetraining golf ball to be able to rest on a surface typically associatedwith a golf course or practice surface without tipping over and theability for the golf club to get under the training golf ball when thetraining golf ball is lying on its flat truncated side. The truncationalso depends on which golf club is used with the training golf ball. Thelower limit of the truncation range is designed for longer distance golfclubs, such as drivers through mid-range irons. In some cases, the upperlimit of truncation may be increased if a tee is employed that willengage and hold the training golf ball on its spherical portionparticularly where the training ball 10 may be employ as a driving rangetraining ball. Depending on the amount of truncation, the training golfball 10 of the present invention travels off-line between 2 and 12 timesthe amount of a regular golf ball similarly misaligned and mishit.

With respect construction of the training golf ball 10 of the presentinvention, the training golf ball 10 may be constructed with similarmaterials and configurations as a conventional golf ball. Particularly,the training golf ball 10 may have a one-piece, two-piece, ormultiple-piece construction. For purposes of illustration, and notlimitation, a two-piece construction for the training golf ball 10 isshown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The training golf ball 10 has a solidrubber/plastic core 20 and a cover 22 with dimples 24. Therubber/plastic core 20 and the cover 22 may be formed from any number ofconventional core and cover materials known to those of ordinary skillin the art in the golf ball manufacturing industry. The cover 22 thatcovers the spherical portion 12 may be smooth, may have dimples 24 thatmay be configured in any number of conventional dimple patterns known tothose of ordinary skill in the art, may have brambles in any number ofconventional bramble patterns, or may have a textured surface. Thetruncated sides 14 and 15 preferably use the same cover material as thecover 22 on the spherical portion 12. The surface of the truncated sides14 and 15 may be smooth, dimpled. bramble, or textured. A smooth surfacefor the truncated sides 14 and 15 allows for the printing of promotionalmaterials or logos on the truncated sides 14 and 15.

There are numerous alternative embodiments of the training golf ball 10of the present invention. For example the training golf ball 10 could bemade from material of various compositions having different densitiesand resiliencies to change the feel transmitted through the shaft of thegolf club 26 to more closely simulate striking a regulation golf balland the distance traveled when struck correctly. In addition, thetraining golf ball 10 could be weighted at the center to more closelyapproximate the weight of a regulation golf ball to change the feeltransmitted through the shaft of the golf club 26 to more closelysimulate striking a regulation golf ball and the distance traveled whenstuck correctly. Further, the training golf ball 10 could be weightedalong the surface of the spherical portion 12 to enhance its slowrolling characteristics while continuing to provide the same trainingfunctionality. The training golf ball 10 could be made from a lessdense, more lightweight material with less resiliency including hollowcore designs to reduce the training golf ball's potential distancetraveled yet provide the same training functionality. The training golfball 10 could be made without dimpling on the spherical portion tochange its flight characteristics and yet could provide the sametraining functionality. The training golf ball 10 could be made withdimples, brambles, or other embossed patterns on the truncated sides 14and 15 to change the training golf ball's flight characteristics yetprovide the same training functionality. The training golf ball 10 couldbe made with its truncated sides 14 and 15 colored with distinctivecolors or patterns to more easily see the manner in which the traininggolf ball 10 is traveling as an indication of the manner in which thetraining golf ball 10 was struck by the club head 28.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the proper striking of the training golf ball10 by the golf club 26. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the plane of thestriking face 30 of the club head 28 is aligned perpendicular to theintended line of travel 36 (which coincides with the equator 40), andthe striking face 30 is aligned parallel to the rolling axis 18. Inaddition, during the stroke of the golf club head 28, the golf club 28moves along a club path 32 in line with the intended line of travel 36and the equator 40. Consequently, when the training golf ball 10 isstruck by the striking face 30 of the club head 26, as aligned in FIGS.6 and 7, the training golf ball 10 will roll along the surface of agreen in the intended line of travel 36. Further, when the training golfball 10 is properly struck by a driver or an iron, as illustrated inFIGS. 6 and 7, the loft of the driver or iron will impart lift andbackspin to the training golf ball 10. Because the club head 28 (whethera driver or an iron) is properly aligned as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, thetraining golf ball 10 will follow the intended line of travel 36 in theair and, absent cross wind forces, will not wobble or veer off theintended line of travel 36.

By contrast, FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrates improper striking of thetraining golf ball 10 by the club 26. As shown in FIG. 8A, the plane ofthe striking face 30 is not aligned perpendicular to the intended lineof travel 36 (which coincides with the equator 40) and is not alignedparallel to the rolling axis 18. In addition, during the stroke of thegolf club head 28, the golf club 28 moves along a club path 34 that isnot in line with the intended line of travel 36 and the equator 40.Consequently, when the training golf ball 10 is struck by the strikingface 30 of the club head 28 as aligned in FIG. 8A, the training golfball will veer to the right along an off-line path 38 that is notcoincident with the intended line of travel 36. Likewise, when thetraining golf ball 10 of the present invention is improperly struck by adriver or an iron, as illustrated in FIG. 8A, the loft of the driver oriron will impart lift and backspin to the training golf ball 10. Becausethe club head 28 (whether a driver or an iron) is improperly aligned asshown in FIG. 8A, the training golf ball 10 will not follow the intendedline of travel 36 in the air and will wobble and veer off the intendedline of travel 36 along an off-line path 38.

The training golf ball 10 may be used in other ways to help a golferimprove his or her swing. For example in connection with making chipshots, the training golf ball 10 may be laid flat on one of thetruncated side 14 or 15. With the training golf ball 10 laid flat on oneof its truncated sides 14 or 15, the golfer is forced to hit down on thetraining golf ball 10. If the golfer does not hit down on the traininggolf ball 10, the training golf ball 10 will be propelled along theground as if a hockey player was passing a puck to a teammate across theice. When the training golf ball 10 is laid flat for making chip shots,the training golf ball 10 will also teach a golfer how to impart spin tothe golf ball. When the training golf ball 10 is struck to impart spin,the training golf ball 10 will make a zip-like sound. The louder thesound is, the more spin the golfer has imparted to the training golfball 10.

From the sand, the training golf ball 10 can be laid flat on one of itstruncated sides 14 or 15 to make the training golf ball 10 look like adifficult “fried egg” lie. Such a use of the training golf ball 10 inthe sand will allow the golfer to practice the most difficult kind ofsand shot. The training golf ball can also be use out of the rough inthe same way. The training golf ball will also allow the golfer topractice a flop shot.

While this invention has been described with reference to preferredembodiments thereof, it is to be understood that variations andmodifications can be affected within the spirit and scope of theinvention as described herein and as described in the appended claims.

I claim:
 1. A training golf ball comprising: a. a truncated spherehaving: i. a spherical portion with a continuous circumferential surfacehaving an equator; and ii. two truncated sides substantially parallel toeach other, on opposite sides of the spherical portion, andsubstantially parallel to a plane passing through the equator, whereinthe truncated sphere has a radius and is truncated approximately between5% and 90% of the radius.
 2. The training golf ball of claim 1, whereinthe truncated sphere is truncated approximately 60% of the radius.
 3. Amethod of practicing a golf swing by a golfer comprising the steps of:a. placing a training golf ball on a support surface, wherein thetraining golf ball is a truncated sphere that has: i. a sphericalportion with a continuous circumferential surface having an equator; andii. two truncated sides substantially parallel to each other, onopposite sides of the spherical portion, and substantially parallel to aplane passing through the equator, wherein the truncated sphere isplaced on the support surface with the continuous circumferentialsurface in contact with the support surface and the equator is alignedwith an intended line of travel; b. striking the training golf ball witha golf club; and c. observing any deviation from the intended line oftravel in order to determine how the training golf ball was struck. 4.The method of claim 3, wherein the support surface is a golf courseputting surface.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein the support surfaceis a golf course fairway surface.
 6. The method of claim 3, wherein thesupport surface is a golf course rough surface.
 7. The method of claim3, wherein the support surface is a golf course bunker surface.
 8. Themethod of claim 3, wherein the support surface is a golf course teesurface.
 9. A method of practicing a golf swing by a golfer comprisingthe steps of: a. placing a training golf ball on a support surface,wherein the training golf ball is a truncated sphere that has: i. aspherical portion with a continuous circumferential surface having anequator; and ii. two truncated sides substantially parallel to eachother, on opposite sides of the spherical portion, and substantiallyparallel to a plane passing through the equator, wherein the truncatedsphere is placed on the support surface with one of the truncated sidesin contact with the support surface; b. striking the training golf ballwith a golf club; and c. observing any deviation from the intended lineof travel in order to determine how the training golf ball was struck.10. The method of claim 9, wherein the support surface is a golf coursefairway surface.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the support surfaceis a golf course rough surface.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein thesupport surface is a golf course bunker surface.
 13. The method of claim9, wherein the method further includes the golfer listening for a soundfrom the training golf ball as the training golf ball spins after beingstruck.